Forming an Opportunity Belief
My Beginning Point:
I believe an opportunity exists when it comes to the slow service at Publix when ordering "pub-subs," their famous line of sandwiches. Their slow service is a frequent point of discussion among those who chose Publix's competitors, and even regulars at Publix often complain about the wait times.
Describing My Belief:
The unmet need is faster service when ordering pub-subs. There are many people who have that need; specifically, it is deli customers who want a pub sub that most have that need. While the need for faster service has always existed universally, it has recently become more apparent as the popularity of pub-subs has skyrocketed. Currently, in order to meet this need, customers are coming in earlier to order, or ordering ahead and picking up their food when it is ready. I am 90% sure an opportunity exists here.
Identify the Prototypical Customer:
Upon repeating this step three times, I found the prototypical customer can be defined specifically and broadly. Specifically, the prototypical customer is a deli customer at Publix ordering a pub-sub. Demographically, however, this customer can truly be of any age or income level. Pub-subs are ordered by many different demographics such as college students, teenagers, the elderly, mothers, fathers, business people, athletes, etc.
Interview #1:
In my first interview, I interviewed my friend Alexa. She identified herself as a prototypical customer (having been a deli customer ordering a pub-sub and having issues with slow service). She became aware of the need for faster service when shopping for pub-subs during the quarantine and noticing a line that built up, eventually breaking the 6-foot social distancing rule. She only experiences the need for faster service when there are larger groups of people, and this need has only popped up for her since quarantine began. She currently addresses this issue by ordering ahead of time online. She is slightly satisfied by this solution, but says they get her order wrong on multiple occasions. Finally, she said the overall experience of ordering a pub-sub would improve "a lot" if the service was faster.
Interview #2
In my second interview, I interviewed my mom. She also identified as a prototypical customer. She became aware of the need for faster service when she was in a rush for food before a meeting and ran late because of the line. She only experiences the need for faster service when shopping at Publix, and this need began ever since she first started ordering pub-subs. She currently has no way to address this issue, and is therefore not satisfied with her way to address the issue. She also stated her overall experience of ordering a pub-sub would greatly improve if service was faster.
Interview #3
For my last interview, I interviewed my brother Jack. He identified as a prototypical customer, and became aware of the need for faster service when having to wait almost thirty minutes for a pub-sub with me. He always experiences the need for faster service when ordering pub-subs. He currently addresses this issue by coming to the store earlier to avoid the lines, however he is unsatisfied with this solution as it does not line up with his lunch hours. He said the overall experience of ordering a pub-sub would improve "a lot" if the service was faster.
Reflection
Over the course of the three interviews, my reflection on my opportunity changed. While this may be an opportunity that certainly exists, it exists on varying degrees of importance depending on the prototypical customer. Some treated this opportunity as highly important while others ascribed low importance to it. All three did agree there was an opportunity there, however. In addition, the three interviews changed my perspective on the "prototypical customer, which was updated to include the broad range of demographics that may still have the need for faster service. The most surprising thing I learned about this opportunity is that even in strange times such as with COVID-19, some still agree there is opportunity. However, the probability of correcting this issue during COVID-19 is unlikely.
Summary
I believe my opportunity has mostly withstood since I began this process. Most, if not all of my original opportunity is still there. My updated opportunity with the updated demographics of the prototypical consumer is certainly more accurate than when I began. However, I think there has to be a fine balance between corrections entrepreneur's make based on consumer feedback and the entrepreneur's "gut feeling." It is entirely possible that sometimes customers may not "know what's best for them" in the sense that they can be skeptical of things that may actually solve their problems. One great example is how many in the early days of e-mail, the internet, and wireless technology dismissed the technology as useless and more complicated than traditional mail and landline technology. Entrepreneurs must sometimes take a stand in what, to them, feels like the best interest of consumers, even if the consumers they are trying to help at times may not be on the same page.
I believe an opportunity exists when it comes to the slow service at Publix when ordering "pub-subs," their famous line of sandwiches. Their slow service is a frequent point of discussion among those who chose Publix's competitors, and even regulars at Publix often complain about the wait times.
Describing My Belief:
The unmet need is faster service when ordering pub-subs. There are many people who have that need; specifically, it is deli customers who want a pub sub that most have that need. While the need for faster service has always existed universally, it has recently become more apparent as the popularity of pub-subs has skyrocketed. Currently, in order to meet this need, customers are coming in earlier to order, or ordering ahead and picking up their food when it is ready. I am 90% sure an opportunity exists here.
Identify the Prototypical Customer:
Upon repeating this step three times, I found the prototypical customer can be defined specifically and broadly. Specifically, the prototypical customer is a deli customer at Publix ordering a pub-sub. Demographically, however, this customer can truly be of any age or income level. Pub-subs are ordered by many different demographics such as college students, teenagers, the elderly, mothers, fathers, business people, athletes, etc.
Interview #1:
In my first interview, I interviewed my friend Alexa. She identified herself as a prototypical customer (having been a deli customer ordering a pub-sub and having issues with slow service). She became aware of the need for faster service when shopping for pub-subs during the quarantine and noticing a line that built up, eventually breaking the 6-foot social distancing rule. She only experiences the need for faster service when there are larger groups of people, and this need has only popped up for her since quarantine began. She currently addresses this issue by ordering ahead of time online. She is slightly satisfied by this solution, but says they get her order wrong on multiple occasions. Finally, she said the overall experience of ordering a pub-sub would improve "a lot" if the service was faster.
Interview #2
In my second interview, I interviewed my mom. She also identified as a prototypical customer. She became aware of the need for faster service when she was in a rush for food before a meeting and ran late because of the line. She only experiences the need for faster service when shopping at Publix, and this need began ever since she first started ordering pub-subs. She currently has no way to address this issue, and is therefore not satisfied with her way to address the issue. She also stated her overall experience of ordering a pub-sub would greatly improve if service was faster.
Interview #3
For my last interview, I interviewed my brother Jack. He identified as a prototypical customer, and became aware of the need for faster service when having to wait almost thirty minutes for a pub-sub with me. He always experiences the need for faster service when ordering pub-subs. He currently addresses this issue by coming to the store earlier to avoid the lines, however he is unsatisfied with this solution as it does not line up with his lunch hours. He said the overall experience of ordering a pub-sub would improve "a lot" if the service was faster.
Reflection
Over the course of the three interviews, my reflection on my opportunity changed. While this may be an opportunity that certainly exists, it exists on varying degrees of importance depending on the prototypical customer. Some treated this opportunity as highly important while others ascribed low importance to it. All three did agree there was an opportunity there, however. In addition, the three interviews changed my perspective on the "prototypical customer, which was updated to include the broad range of demographics that may still have the need for faster service. The most surprising thing I learned about this opportunity is that even in strange times such as with COVID-19, some still agree there is opportunity. However, the probability of correcting this issue during COVID-19 is unlikely.
Summary
I believe my opportunity has mostly withstood since I began this process. Most, if not all of my original opportunity is still there. My updated opportunity with the updated demographics of the prototypical consumer is certainly more accurate than when I began. However, I think there has to be a fine balance between corrections entrepreneur's make based on consumer feedback and the entrepreneur's "gut feeling." It is entirely possible that sometimes customers may not "know what's best for them" in the sense that they can be skeptical of things that may actually solve their problems. One great example is how many in the early days of e-mail, the internet, and wireless technology dismissed the technology as useless and more complicated than traditional mail and landline technology. Entrepreneurs must sometimes take a stand in what, to them, feels like the best interest of consumers, even if the consumers they are trying to help at times may not be on the same page.
Hello Jean,
ReplyDeleteI have had this experience with pub-subs more times than I can think of. Coming back exhausted from the library and looking forward to a juicy chicken tender sub is one of the few constants in my life. Walking into 13th Publix and seeing a line extending from the deli to the fruits and veggies section really crushes my dreams and aspirations. I really think you have something good going on here and the need absolutely exists. Good luck with your venture!